Frogster's Top Ten Male Counterparts
by Frogster
Summary: Since it's Valentine's Day, I decided to describe my favorite male counterparts. Warning: May contain spoilers! Enjoy, and please R&R!


**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters/books.**

Since it's Valentine's Day, I thought I would make a list of my top 10 male counterparts from favorite books. Enjoy!

10. Oskan from _The Cry of the Icemark_: You know you'd love it if a warlock were your boyfriend. Especially if it was one like Oskan, with his hilarious sense of humor. He even puts up with—and falls in love with—the indomitable Thirrin. Now that deserves him an award.

9. Kartik from _A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing_: He's so mysterious and guarded that you can't help but love him—and neither can Gemma. Added to his allure is the fact that he is all but forbidden to Gemma, but their respective involvements in the Realms put them on equal footing—at least while they're there.

8. Collun from _Hero's Song_ and _Fire Arrow_: He's not only a sweet and gentle gardener, he's the son of a famous warrior, and exhibits some of his father's traits while trying to save his world. His close friendship with Brie overlays any other feelings they may have about each other, and stays intact through all that Brie suffers in _Fire Arrow_. Now, if only the third book would come out….

7. Ambrogio from _Dante's Daughter_: When he first meets Bice, she accidentally spills wine all over his two new shirts—shirts that we later learn are the last thing he has of his mother. After she returns from a long journey with her father, he begins to badmouth her parents and their marital woes. Bice promptly answers by throwing a cheese in his face, causing him to fall and crack his head on the stone road. She is so distraught by her actions that her "penance" is to read to him. They become friends—and a little bit more—as they share quotes from classical quotes and witty banter. He even gives her a set of paints, which she cherishes. After all their bickering and mishaps, they end up in love with each other. How sweet is that?

6. Edward from _Twilight_: (I know, I know: he would be higher on most of your (and Jupiter-lightning's) lists, but bear with me, because I do happen to like Edward more than Jacob.) Even though he's a vampire, he's one of the good kind, and a better man you would never find. He's so sweet and attentive; how many of us can forget that song he wrote for Bella? He even watches her as she sleeps to make sure she's all right. He'd even rather that Bella forget about him (but who ever could?) and move on, than let her become a vampire as well. Find out what happens next to everyone's favorite couple on August 2, when _Breaking Dawn _comes out!

5. Tamwyn from _The Great Tree of Avalon _series: He may believe that he's the Child of the Dark Prophecy, doomed to end Avalon, but everyone else (including Elli) believes he's the True Heir of Merlin, who will conquer the Dark Child and save Avalon. With all that turmoil in his life, it's no wonder that he constantly bickers with Elli; after all, they didn't get off to a very good start when he broke her treasured harp, the last thing she had of her father's. Their personalities are complements to each other, like two water droplets that always come back together even when shaken apart, as Brionna shows Elli in the second book (which is my favorite); their love soon overpowers their bickering. However, did anyone else think that the third book was too short? It left much to be desired.

4. Gogu from _Wildwood Dancing_: I really believe that the reason he's not #5 or 6 on my list is because, for much of the book, he's a frog. And I love frogs. He's always by Jena's side, as her constant adviser—she's the only one who can hear him—but suffers as he's caught between two worlds, that of a frog and that of his true human form. I just love the scene where he gives Jena a seedpod shaped like a heart. I would just love to have a froggy friend like that—and if he turned out to be my 'true love' then that would be just fine as well.

3. Vidanric/ the Marquis of Shevraeth from _Crown Duel_: He's the enigmatic nobleman that Meliara loves to hate and hates to love. Not only can he hold his own during court, but he's an accomplished fighter as well, as shown as he tracks Mel across the country for reasons unknown to her. Any man that doesn't flinch when Mel throws a candlestick at him deserves an award, as does any man that falls in love with Meliara (oh, wait, that's him, too). Through all of their squabbles and spats he just gets dearer and dearer. Added bonus: he's capable of a dry wit (yay!) _and_ he's going to be king. Mel just doesn't know how lucky she is.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for:

1. (tie) Mr. Darcy from _Pride and Prejudice _and Finn from _Enna Burning_: Yes, yes, I know that this may seem a little chicken to not choose a definite #1 and 2, but with these two special characters I just cannot choose. And on to their attributes:

Mr. Darcy is the epitome of the romantic hero. Jane Austen created a masterpiece when she created _Pride and Prejudice _and the two timeless characters of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. They fuss, fight, bicker, squabble—whatever you want to call it—and still manage to fall in love. Their personalities complement each other as well: Mr. Darcy is prone to brooding (even though that just makes him even more adorable) while Elizabeth is ebullient and lighthearted. If you just can't get enough of this adorable couple, watch the rest of the BBC edition of _Pride and Prejudice _on PBS this Sunday. It's considered by many to be the best edition, even though I prefer Matthew MacFayden's Mr. Darcy in the 2005 version. But that's just me. You also might try _Austenland_ by Shannon Hale (the magnificent author of _Enna Burning_). It's a spin-off of _Pride and Prejudice_, with a male counterpart that's just as funny in Mr. Nobley.

Mr. Darcy can only be matched by Finn, the gentle, funny, yet strong man in Enna's life. He loves Enna even though her fire knowledge leads her to do horrible things—even when it seems that the fire has more control over Enna than she herself does. If you know my story and why I identify so with Enna—her struggle is so like my own struggle—then you'll understand why Finn tops my list. Example: while Enna is in the throes of fire, Finn keeps her grounded by singing silly songs about squirrels to her. Who can't help but love that? Finn and Enna's relationship evolves further in _River Secrets_, and there's a fourth book in the Bayern series (the first was _The Goose Girl_) due out sometime.

There you have it: Frogster's somewhat extensive list of the top ten male counterparts. I hope you enjoyed my list, and have a happy Valentine's Day!

Please review: you know you want to!


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